New Zealand company IMED will show its exterior helm stations for the first time at METS this week.

The backlit, watertight control panels are custom created for each yacht they’re used on and feature on yachts such as Imagine II, Genevieve, Drumbeat and the tenders of M/Y A. The company creates its custom control panels in carbon fibre, membrane, foil and glass to suit any installation, with helms designed and built in-house, and then installed by IMED’s electrical engineers on yachts globally. ​

High intensity LED’s are effective during the day, and dimmable for night vision, while sealed UV laminate offers a high level of protection from the elements.

Completely waterproof, their helms are designed to resist anything the elements throw at them while delivering control, functionality and reliability. They’re also created with the engineer in mind. While the functionality these helm stations deliver is complex, the IMED team has bundled components into simple elements so that, if repairs are needed during the helm station’s life, they can be managed onsite by the yacht’s own engineer with a small selection of spares.

IMED has been designing and creating bespoke helm stations for seven years and have delivered and installed to customers around the globe. "IMED provided us with a first-class product and the helms stations look modern, sleek and offer a functionality that is vastly improved on the old helm stations,” says captain of S/Y Destination, Mike Lawrence.

"SY Destination won the Boat International Refit of the Year Award in 2012 and IMED was a valuable contributor to that accolade"

IMED also designs and builds products to suit the rapidly developing market place, offering a selection of innovative products that are designed and developed in-house and supplied directly to their customers around the world

A sample of one of IMED’s helm stations will be on display, alongside five new products at METS, and can be seen on the IMED stand in the Superyacht Pavilion; stand 09.724.

Our new product keeps yachts running at full power by averaging load, and turning off unneeded consumers in times of high demand, before turning them back on again when demand drops.

IMED’s Load Control Modules system (LCM) keeps the yacht running at full power, the smart way. Monitoring the main electrical system, LCM uses pre-determined user settings to turn off background loads in high demand situations, reinstating them when power demand is low.

By monitoring system loads and turning consumers on and off as required, to optimise generator loading and minimise risk of overload, LCM protects the life of generators while ensuring minimal power waste.

IMED’s IME-LCM6 has six load control outputs and two alarm aux control outputs.

With stand-alone generators, island power systems and ships, this load control system will maintain a better, more even, average load, reducing generator issues like glazing and premature smoking. In some cases, smaller generation plants can be utilised and sized closer to the average loading instead of peak.

LCM is smart, eco-friendly, saves in fuel, saves in oil changes and servicing and sees less down time for generators. Ask one of our team for more on how it can improve onboard performance for you.

IMED was created by a former long-term superyacht engineer. That background gave David Chalmers real insight into improvements which could be made to what was available when it came to helm stations and onboard electrical systems.

With demand coming from all corners of the globe, Chalmers and his team have successfully designed, built and fitted custom helms on a spread of yachts with different cruising needs.

He hasn’t forgotten the engineers though. From IMED’s base in Auckland, the dedicated team are producing a number of products designed to help onboard systems perform better and more reliably. The IME-LCM6 is just one of six products being launched at METS.

IMED offer something different to the superyacht industry, and this year, for the first time it was shown at Monaco. The Auckland-based company design and build watertight, functional outdoor helm stations, allowing the skipper precision control from the deck, with a helm crafted in carbon fibre, membrane or glass. IMED was created by a former long-term superyacht engineer. That background gave company principal, David Chalmers, real insight into improvements which could be made to what was available when it came to exterior helm stations. Top of his list was an effective backlighting system, which he’s achieved with a custom process to create functional, beautifully-backlit helms which aid the skipper in any weather or at any time of day. Next on his list was that they be waterproof, highly-functional - providing as much functionality as indoor control panels - and that they were easy for the onboard engineer to work with.

With demand coming from all corners of the globe, Chalmers and his team have successfully designed, built and fitted custom helms on a spread of yachts with different cruising needs. He hasn’t forgotten the engineers though. While IMED control panels deliver a high functionality, they are also simple to work on with a system of two universal spares all that’s needed for an engineer to make repairs onboard during a cruise.

Having been successfully fitted on SY Genevieve, S/Y Destination, S/Y Silvertip, and the tenders of M/Y A, among others, this is the first time the watertight, user-friendly and aesthetically-pleasing control panels has been displayed at a European boat show.

New Zealand company’s exterior helm stations were shown for the first time in Europe

A New Zealand company which creates exterior helm stations, providing an unprecedented level of control from the decks, showed their products for the first time at Monaco.

Specialist exterior helm station designer and installer, IMED, is bringing its watertight outdoor control panels to the Monaco Yacht Show for the first time. Though the fully-custom, technologically-advanced helms have been installed in Europe before - with the team meeting yachts globally to complete helm installations - this is the first time IMED will appear at a European boat show.IMED’s helm panels are designed to suit any installation, and crafted in carbon fibre, membrane or glass and the innovation they represent mean they’re being hailed as game changers by captains. Former captain of S/Y Thalia, Jake Reid, says IMED’s electrical knowledge is the best he’s encountered in the industry.

"I'd like to thank IMED for the great job they did in designing, manufacturing and installing new helm station panels on S/YThalia. The panels operate exactly as required and they look great. [IMED’s] electrical knowledge is the best I have come across anywhere in thesuperyacht world.” says Reid.

Completely waterproof, they’re designed to resist anything the elements throw at them while delivering control, functionality and reliability. They’re also created with the engineer in mind. While the functionality these helm stations deliver is complex, the IMED team have bundled components into simple elements so that, if repairs are needed during the helm station’s life, they can be managed onsite by the yacht’s own engineer with a small selection of spares. IMED creates everything from rudder angle indicators to LED dimmers in-house to guarantee the quality of the finished product it delivers. IMED’s helms take pride of place on a spread of superyachts including S/Y Genevieve, S/Y Silvertip, M/Y Como, S/Y Destination, S/Y Thalia, and the tenders of M/Y A.“S/Y Destination won the Boat International Refit of the Year Award in 2012 and IMED were a valuable contributor to that accolade,” says Mike Lawrence, captain S/Y Destination.